This past Spring season, exciting things have been happening at Crested Butte Mountain Guides. CBMG Guides have travelled far and wide in search of powder, singletrack, and warm rock, some for play and rest after a long and busy winter of guiding, others keeping the work season going through the Spring off-season lull.

A first stop on many lists was Moab, UT…only 4 hours away, but a great respite from a long and cold Crested Butte winter, with great warm sunshine, invting sandstone Desert Rockclimbing and dozens of desert towers to get back out on the rock, miles of some of the world’s best singletrack to begin the Mountain-Biking season with, and of course great camping.

CBMG Guide Steve Banks headed off to Europe to guide the Classic Haute Route Ski Tour between Chamonix and Zermatt once again. Steve has just returned to Crested Butte and word is, the trip had great conditions and was once again smooth and successful. Join us next year on this ‘must-do’ ski mountaineering tour. Look for Steve’s write-up on this BLOG coming soon. 

 Closer to home, the wet and stormy weather in the Colorado high country kept the Ski Mountaineering season going through late May. CBMG Guides Johnny MacKinnon, and Mike Soucy have been busy guiding these ski descents both locally on the Mt. CB ‘Guides Ridge’ and farther abroad on some of Colorado’s 14ers. Either a great capstone experience to the ski season, an intro into bigger more technical skiing, or as a training regimen for bigger and more complicated mountains, make sure to join us on a Ski Mountaineering trip in 2011.

This off-season the CBMG World Headquarters also got a face lift, as we disposed of the old dingy carpet and replaced it with some brand-new oak hardowwd floors, installed by CBMG’s own JSJ. We think they do alot to brighten and open up our cozy little miner’s cabin, so make sure and come check out the new(er) digs, just make sure to wipe your feet at the “Guide Shack” door.

Lastly, warmer days are here, and dry rock abounds from the Utah Desert, to the local Taylor Canyon and The Black Canyon. This summer, as well as having our standard Rockclimbing Programs and guided opportunities, we are once again having our successful Women’s Climbing Series, a 3-day High Angle Rock Rescue Course, and a few Yoga /Climbing Retreats. Visit www.crestedbutteguides.com or call us for more details.

Don’t delay. Get out and enjoy summer in the Colorado high country and in the Crested Butte backcountry. Book your guided summer adventure today with Crested Butte Mountain Guides. Currently offering guided trips daily in: Rockclimbing, Mountaineering, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Backpacking, Skills Instruction/Training or simply a fully supported car camping trip around a campfire under the Colorado stars…

 —CBMG Staff

Despite some quite rainy and stormy spring weather in the mountains, we at Crested Butte Mountain Guides have begun daily guiding of our usual summer activity schedule. Last week was the first week of the summer season of guided rockclimbing in the Crested Butte area, as a few different brave souls gambled with the weather and ventured out with some of our guides for a day on the rock.

One of these trips involved longtime CBMG guest Karen Fontenot and her friend Amy Cansler who joined me for a few days of guided rockclimbing both in a local gym and out at Taylor Canyon for some fine afternoon climbing in the warm sun. Karen is now a seasoned climbing veteran having completed her first Black Canyon climb with me last Fall, and was able to help give Amy her first climbing experience, that I think she may now have become hooked on as well.

Looking forward to seeing you both again soon.

—Guide, Jayson Simons-Jones